Apparatus for and method of protecting articles from creeping insects



F. S. SMITH.

Jan. 9, 1923.

3 SHEETSSHEET 1 APPARATUS FOR AND METHOD OF PROTECTING ARTICLES FROM CREEPING INSECTS.

F1 LED JAN. 14, I922 A INVENTOR W14. 5, 5m

ATTORNEY Jan. 9 1923. I

F. s. SMITH.

APPARATUS FOR AND METHOD OF PROTECTING ARTICLES FROM YCREEPING |NSECT5.

FLL-ED JAN. 14. 1922.

3 SHEE s'SHEET 2 INVENTOR I ATTORNEY Jan. 9, 1923.

. F. S. SMITH. APPARATUS FOR AND METHOD OF PROTECTING A 3 T E E H S m BE E H S I H. 6 N P E E R C M o R F s E c RTI 922.

F LED JAN. 14, I

1/1/1114-"v11Ill/1,1,1111/1/1III,Ill/I'llIll/IIIIIIlI/I/Ih n Q/ m BY M MM ATTORNEY patented Ian. 9, I923.

entrain stares earanr caries.

FRANKLIN S. SMITH, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO THE PRODUCTS PROTECTION CORPORATION, NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORA- TION OF DELAWARE.

.APPARATUS FOR AND M ETHOD OF PROTECTING ARTICLES FROM CREEPING INSECTS.

Application filed January 14, 1922.

T 0 all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, FRANKLIN S. SMITH, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Philadelphia, in ,the county of Philadelphia and State of Pennsylvania, have invented. an= Improvement in Apparatus for and Methods of Protecting Articles from Creeping IIISQCtSyOf which the followinqis a specification.

ily invention relates to a new and useful apparatus for and method of protecting articles from creeping insects by the use of electricity. In the southern,section of the United States and in tropical regions generally great difficulty is experienced in protecting articles from insects such as ants. Candy or other food isdestroyed by them.

It is the object of my invention'to provide both an apparatus and a method whereby electricity may be used as a meansfto protect candy or otherfood or other articles from the ravages and depredations of creeping insects.

In order to accomplish this result; I estab lish in the path along which the insects must trax'el an electrostatic field.

In order that my invention may be more readily understood and its practical advantages fully appreciated, reference'should be had to the accompanying drawings in which I have illustrated apparatus embodying the same and by means of which the method invented by me may be practised.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a top plan view of the pedestal for supporting a table top;

Fig. 2 is a central vertical'section of the pedestal and a table top supported thereon;

Fig. 3 is a top plan View, somewhat enlarged, of an annular dielectric member shown in Figs. 1 and 2 with terminal devices associated therewith;

Fig. 4 is a transverse sectional view taken on the line 44 of Fig. 3; Y

Fig. 5 is a top plan view of the pedestal showing a modified construction embodying the invention;

Fig. 6 is a central vertical sectional view of the pedestal shown in Fig. 5 with a table top supported thereon;

Fig. 7 is atop plan view of a dielectric member with wax held therein shown in Figs. 5 and 6;

Serial No. 529,102.

Fig. 8 is a transverse sectional view taken on the line 8-8 of Fig. 7, the grounding of the secondary coil of the transformer being indicated diagrammatically.

Referring to the drawings: 1 designates a tapered pedestal of sheet metal having its outer lower edges turned inwardly as indicated at 2, the lower side of which inwardly turned portion is adapted to rest upon a table or other suitable support. The bottom of the pedestal 1 is closed by means of a plate 3 secured to the lower outwardly flared portions thereof by means of bolts 4 as shown. The upper end portion of the pedestal 1 extends inwardly as indicated at 5, and the said inwardly turned portion is provided with an upwardly extending central projection 8. A central vertical slot, as indicated at 9, is cut in the said upwardly extending projection leaving the upper end of the said projection partially closed by the segmental shaped portions 10, as is shown in Figs. 1 and 5 of the drawings.

Referring now to Figs. 1 to 4 inclusive of the drawings, 15 designates an annular member of suitable dielectic material, such as bakelite or bakelized fiber, having at about the center of its length an inwardly extending integral flange 16 of considerable width, as shown. Annular terminal members 17 and 18 are situated upon opposite sides of the inwardly extending flange 16. These members 17 and 18 with the flange 16 on the opposite sides of which they are situated constitute a condenser. The said condenser need not be circular as shown but may be of and downwardly extending projection 20 while the terminal member 18 is provided are placed in position upon the upper .1 tric material and the table top is filled with asuitable material, such as Montan wax 26.

end portion of the pedestal 1. The assembled dielectric and the annular mem- "bers 17 and 18 surround the projection of the pedestal 1 and the inwardly and down- -wardly extending projections 20 and 21 pass through the slots 9. The table top 23 is then placed in position upon the pedestal and secured thereto by means of screws 24 which 1 engage screw threaded openings 25 in the parts 10. The pedestal with the table top ,thereon is then turned up side down and while'the terminal members 17 'and 18 are held 1n f dper position in contact with the opposite sides of the flange 16 the chamber formed by the annular member of dielec- :It will be understood that when this is being done the'bottom 3 is not in'place and that 0 the siidj bottom is placed in position after the. wax

chamber. I

111: The projections and 21' are'conniectedto the opposite sides of theseo'ondary" coil 28 1 -sj j0f which is indicated at 29. This trans-' of :a step-uptransformer, the primary coil Refer-in former is situated in .the interior of the,

.pedestal 1. if primary of the transformer through the Current is conducted to the conducting wires 30 which enter the pedestal 1,at'31.;. a v

g now to Figs. 5 to 8. inclusive of the: drawings designates an annular member ofsuitable. dielectric material, such as bakelite, the said annular member being provided with an integral cross-wise extendfit) 'of U-shape, as is clearly indicated in Fig. 8. 37,designates the primary coil of a step-up ing portion 36. Said annular member as well as the cross-wise extending portion comprises two oppositely disposed walls connected 'so that incross section they are transformer and 38 the secondary coil there- The tends through' the bottom of the cross-wise extending portion 36 and into the space hetween the oppositeside walls of said portion.

0f, one side of which is connected to a bind- 45 ing screw 39 which extends upwardly 7' "through the'bottom of the cross-wise extendlllg'POItlOIl' 36 and the opposite side thereof is connected to the bottom 3 of the pedestal. edestal is "grounded, as indicated at 140. he screw 39, as already indicated, ex-

The screw having been inserted,molten lead or other suitable metal is poured into the space "between the opposite'side walls of the annular and cross-wise extending portions 35 and 36, which lead is indicated at 41. It

will be seen that the screwis in engagement with the metal 41- i The metal 41 in the said spaces is covered over and concealed by a suitable wax 42, such as Montan wax.- The wax having been placed in the spaces as indicated and the member comprising the parts 35 and 36 having been placed in posihas been deposited in the saidtion upon the pedestal with the part 36 situated in the vertical slot 9, the table top 44 is secured to the parts 10 at the top of the pedestal 1. The presence of the said top retains the said member upon the pedestal. Current is supplied to the transformer through the conducting wires 45 which enter four thousand volts-produces the desired results and effects the ends desired to be accomplished.

' Referring to the construction shownin Figs. 1 to 4, it will be understood that when the current is on an electrostatic field is produced within the dielectric 15 and 16, the wax 26and in the airoutside of the annular dielectric member 15 in opposed relation to the outer peripheral edges of the terminals 17 and 18. I

In the construction as shown in F1gs.,5 to

8 inclusive, an electrostatic field is in like.

manner formed or produced within the wax 42 and in the air within the region surrounding and in opposed relation to the outerv peripheral edge of the lead 41 and surrounding the upper portion of the pedestal. 1 in adjacent relation to the line or area of contact between the said pedestal and the lower edge of the annular dielectric member-35.

' It will be seen, therefore, that in neither form of construction can creeping or crawling insects reach the table top 23 or 44, as

the case may be, without passing through an' electrostatic field surrounding the pedestal. By actual practice it has been demonstrated that such insects will not pass through an electrostatic field such as above described which surrounds any portion of a pedestal or support or other object, such, for instance, as the trunk of a tree.

Having thus described my invention, what I- claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a table in combination, a table top,

a support therefor, a condenser surrounding the said support and means for supplying a high tension alternating electric current to said condenser.

2. The method of protecting articles from creeping insects, which consists in interposing a charged dielectric in the path which must he traveled by said insects to reach the said articles.

3. The method of protecting articles from creeping insects, which consists in inter-- posing an electrostatic field in the path ing a dielectric field in the path of said insects.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as 10 my invention, I have hereunto signed my name this 10th day of January, A. D. 1922.

FRANKLIN S. SMITH. 

